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1、 Osprey Publishing OspreyPUBLISHINGCONTENTSDEDICATIONACKNOWLEDGEMENTSINTRODUCTIONCHAPTERONEBackgroundCHAPTERTWOFirepower55CHAPTERTHREEProtection125CHAPTERFOURMobility183CHAPTERFIVEVariants249Index281DEDICATIONTothelateJacquesLittlefield,founderoftheMilitaryVehicleTechnologyFoundation,forhisdedicatio
2、nandpersistenceintherestorationofaPanthertank.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSSpecialthanksareduetothestaffoftheMilitaryVehicleTechnologyFoundation,theTankMuseumatBovington,theVirginiaMuseumofMilitaryVehicles,andtheformerPattonMuseumofArmorandCavalryfortheirassistanceincompletingthisbook.Individualswhomadeanextraef
3、fortinhelpingoutonthisbookbesidessupplyingpicturesincludeDavidFletcher,Chun-LunHsu,JamesD.Brown,RichardCox,MichaelPanchyshyn,CandaceFuller,andRandyTalbot.AspecialnoteofthanksgoestoVladimirYakubovandYuriPasholok,whoprovidedinformationabouttheRedArmysreactiontothePanthertank.YuriV.Desyatnikprovidedtra
4、nslationsfromthePanther-Fibel(Pantherhandbook)andinformationaboutGermanWorldWarIIradios.INTRODUCTIONTheGermanPanthertankwasalmostcertainlythemostelegantdesignofWorldWarILItembodiedabalanceoffirepower,armorprotection,andmobilityunmatchedbyanyothertankoftheperiod.Yet,itwasnotthewar-winneritmight# Ospr
5、ey Publishing havebeen.ThegulfbetweenthepotentialofthePanthertankdesignanditsperformanceonthebattlefieldwillbeexploredinthisbook,aswillhowthevehiclefunctioned.ThebasicrequirementsforthePanthertankwerelaidoutasaresultoflessonslearnedinthesummerof1940inFranceandtheautumnof1941inRussia.Inaremarkablefea
6、tofengineeringandproduction,theGermansfieldedanumberoflightandmediumtanksbeforethewarinEurope,whichservedasthebackboneoftheirdoctrineofoperationalmaneuver(Bewegunskrieor,astheWestcalledit,Blitzkrieg.Asrobustasthesedesignswere,however,theirweaponsprovedunabletopenetratethearmoronsomeoftheiropponentst
7、anks.Tomakemattersworse,thearmorprotectionlevelsontheGermantanksprovedinadequateforthejobathand.ThislessonwashammeredhometotheGermansinJuly1941whentheyfirstencounteredtheRedArmysT-34mediumtank.Thoughcrudelymanufacturedinmanyways,theRussiantankfeaturedahighlyefficient,slopedarmordesign,whichgaveexcel
8、lentprotectionforitsweight.Thebroadtracksandconsequentlowgroundpressure,alongwithasuspensiondesignborrowedfromAmericanJ.WalterChristiesdesignsofthe1930s,alsogavetheT-34tankoutstandingtacticalmobility.ThoughtheinitialencounterwaspainfulforthePanzertruppen(Gemantanktroops),itprovidedvaluableknowledgen
9、eededtodesignthenextgenerationofpanzers.Thenewpanzerswerenotlongincoming.ByNovember1941,theGermanswereplanningtheirresponseintheformofatankthatcombinedthearmorprotectionandmobilityoftheT-34mediumtank,coupledwithamaingunsuperiortoanythenfielded.AninitialproductionorderwasplacedinMarch1942for250exampl
10、esofthenewmediumtanktobereadyforusebyMay12,1943.TheresultingPanthermediumtankwasanengineeringmasterpiecethatinmanywayswasyearsaheadofitsadversaries.Thethick,well-slopedannorfeaturedinterlockingmortisejoints,whichreinforceditswelds.ThepowerfulMaybachenginegavearelativelyhighhorsepower-to-weightratio,
11、andtheinterleavedsuspensiongavegoodweightdistributionalongthewidetrackstrands.Thelong,high-velocity,75-mmmaingunwasapotentthreattoalmostanyopponentitencounteredonthebattlefield.Whythen,wasthePanthertanknotthesuperweaponAdolphHitlerhopeditwouldbe?Afewreasons:First,thedesignwasrushedintoproductionandf
12、ieldedbeforeengineeringdevelopmentwascomplete.PantherssufferedfrommechanicalbreakdownstotheextentthatfieldcommandersoftennotedthatmoreoftheirPantherswerelosttomechanicalfailurethantoenemyaction.Second,thedesign,althoughelegant,wastooexpensive,complicated,andtime-consumingtobuildinawartimeeconomy.The
13、GermansbuiltonlyafewthousandPantherswhiletheAmericansandRussianswerebuildingtensofthousandsoftankstogoupagainstit.Third,HitlerspreoccupationwitheverlargerandmoreimpressiveweaponsdilutedboththeengineeringandeconomicresourcesavailabletoGermany.ToomanyWimdenvaffen(wonderweapons)competedfortoofewresourc
14、es.ThusthePanthertank,thatmostelegantoftankdesigns,accomplishedlittletoturntheAlliedtide.Althoughoftenaformidableopponentwhenconfrontedonthebattlefield,thetankwasnotavailableinsufficientnumberstomakeadifferenceintheoutcomeofthewar.CHAPTERONEBACKGROUNDBeforetheGermanmilitaryinvasionoftheSovietUnionon
15、June22,1941,code-namedOperationBarbarossa,themediumtanksoftheGermantanktroopshaddominatedthebattlefieldsofWesternandEasternEurope.ThesetanksweredesignatedthePz.Kpfvv.IllandPz.Kpfw.IV,bothhavingenteredintoGermanArmyservicebeforetheinvasionofPolandonSeptember1,1939,whichmarkedtheofficialbeginningofWorldWarII.AssistingthePz.Kpfw.IllandPz.Kpfw.IVmediumtanksoftheGermantanktroopsincombatwerethePz.Kpfw.IandPz.Kpfw.IIlighttanks.Liketheirmediumtankcounterparts,bothli
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